April 10, 2016

The West's Tolerance For Wahhabism Must End

The government of England and other European governments have tolerated, and even promoted, Wahhabism in their societies for far too long. Their insane policies have encouraged the rise of ISIS and contributed to the spread of terrorism in the Middle East, North Africa, and, now, on their own continent.

So instead of invading Iraq, blowing up Jihadi John and individual terrorists, thus causing a multiplication of these agents, it would have been be easier to focus on the source of all problems: the Wahhabi/Salafi education and the promotion of intolerance by which a Shiite or a Yazidi or a Christian are deviant people.

If we absolutely need to put people in Guantanamo, it would be far more effective to ship the Salafi preachers and Wahhabi clerics over there, not just the people swayed by their teaching. And if we need to correct the profound Saudi problem, we need to start by sending to them our preachers, educating them into tolerance, explaining the very concept of the separation of church and state. Or, better even, encourage Muslim preachers who promote religious tolerance (“laka dinak wa li dini“) — instead of seeing them ostracized.

What is most dangerous to Europe is not the Islamic State itself, but
rather, “the IS within.” Europe’s governments are at a loss as to how to
stop this from happening. Their responses are ineffective, even futile.
There are no easy solutions, but Europe must tackle the main roots of
the problem: finances, fanatical doctrines controlling the preaching of
Islam in Europe, European policies toward the Middle East and
immigration.
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Regarded by Europe as a democratic, moderate political Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood operates freely there and has a pivotal role in spreading Islamic preaching, together with these radical concepts, through a well-planned, organized, tightly connected network.

In dealing with “the IS within,” Europe needs to understand that
preaching the tolerant teachings of Islam through Wahhabi scholars’
texts and by Wahhabi sheikhs paves the way for the future acceptance of
violent, fanatic interpretations. .
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Western post-Enlightenment liberal thought acknowledges that society
and its values are in constant development. But according to Wahhabism,
society and its values must return and remain confined to the teachings
of the 7th century Arabic peninsula.

These differences create conflicts for many European Muslims adopting
the Wahhabi doctrine, and are some of the reasons why they endorse
the IS and join efforts in establishing the state that Wahhabism
preaches. The Islamic State is the perceived answer to the conflicts
that they face and struggle with living in Europe. While aspiring to a
united large Islamic state can be a legitimate goal, destroying all
other states, killings, beheadings and terror are not legitimate means.
The problem is that teachings of Wahhabism incorporate both.

King Abdullah will go home to Saudi Arabia today with the charges of
human rights protestors ringing irritatingly in his ears. But his
controversial visit may well have left an unpleasant legacy for the
people of the country which has feted him with full state honours.

There
was a hint of it in a report written this week by Dr Denis MacEoin, an
Islamic studies expert at Newcastle who previously taught at the
University of Fez. Leading a team of researchers over a two-year
project, he uncovered a hoard of malignant literature inside as many as a
quarter of Britain's mosques. All of it had been published and
distributed by agencies linked to the government of King Abdullah.

Among the more choice recommendations in leaflets, DVDs and journals
were statements that homosexuals should be burnt, stoned or thrown from
mountains or tall buildings (and then stoned where they fell just to be
on the safe side). Those who changed their religion or committed
adultery should experience a similar fate.

Almost half of the literature was written in English, suggesting it
is targeted at younger British Muslims who do not speak Arabic or Urdu.
The material, which was openly available in many of the mosques,
including the East London Mosque in Whitechapel, which has been visited
by Prince Charles, also encourages British Muslims to segregate
themselves from non-Muslims.